The Importance of Environment

This week, our podcast focused on creating an inviting atmosphere in our 200churches. We believe that an inviting atmosphere begins with the people who attend your church, and we outlined five steps that you can take at your own 200church that will get you started on cultivating a warm, welcoming environment wherever you are, and no matter the size of your budget. 

While we start with ourselves as people whose characters, personalities, and practices are what shape the atmosphere of our services, we should also pay close attention to the overall feel of our church facilities. Environments are important and we should take time to consider the message that we're sending to people as they walk in our doors.

No matter where a church is located or how many people are attending, we should always be ready for visitors to walk into one of our services. As leaders, we're ultimately responsible for the experience that people have when they attend, and a large part of that experience is related to the environment of our church. 

The longer you've been at your church, the more difficult it is to be an accurate barometer of its atmosphere. When I first came to work at the church where I now serve, I had so many ideas on how we could make a change here or there to impact the overall atmosphere in our facilities. As time has passed, however, I inevitably have lost some of my ability to recognize those areas. This happens to all of us, so here are some easy ways to get a feel for what your environment is currently like, and how to move forward.

• Get a fresh set of eyes - This is so important. Go find someone you know who doesn't attend your church and ask them to come for a Sunday, just to give you an idea of how it feels. Beyond the Sunday morning experience, have them walk around your church and take notes on what does and doesn't work for them. The more people you have giving you feedback, the more accurately you can determine what areas of your church are turning people off, and which areas of your church are spot on.

• Get a team together - Make up a team with two types of people: people who have been attending your church for 7 years or longer, and people who have been attending for less than 1 year. Ask people to rate your church (1-5) on areas such as how welcoming it is, the appearance of your facilities, the overall atmosphere, etc. Those who have been attending a long time will likely score your environment high, based on how they remember the church, and because they no longer see the flaws, while the new group will score it lower, rated on the current situation and their ability to point out the problems. What can you do, without spending much money, to improve?

• Get honest - Are there things about your church that you've hated since you arrived, but never felt like you could speak out loud about? Is it hindering your church from cultivating a welcoming atmosphere? If so, it's time to get honest. Talk about those things with the leaders in your church (staff, elders, deacons, etc) and the results could be surprising! While it's not always easy to change certain aspects of your church, it will be worth the effort if it helps your overall environment.

It may sound trivial, but if our church environments are less than appealing, we reduce the likelihood of attracting and retaining new attenders. Not only that, but we're doing a disservice to the people who are currently attending our church by not working to ensure that the place where they come to worship is always inviting, welcoming, and friendly. 

Here are a few final questions to ask on environment:

• Is your landscaping current and well cared for?
• Are there outdated posters, literature racks, lost and found boxes, or Gospel tracts in your lobby?
• Is there obviously dated decor?
• Do any of the rooms scream 1970's, or any decade prior to the year 2000?
• Are your restrooms, nurseries, classrooms, and closets clean, well lit, and well maintained?  How about the parking? Clean, well lit, and litter-free?
• Is there a pleasant odor, or worse, are there any unpleasant odors?
• Does your auditorium/sanctuary environment help or hinder your people in worship?
• Does your building generally look like a place where people would like to spend time?

If you had to give bad answers to any of the above questions, what can you do about it? Who is going to address these areas? Are there leaders or volunteers who are gifted and passionate in any of these areas, to whom you could delegate some tasks? You may not need to spend much, if any, money, just a little time and energy removing the old, and straightening, cleaning, polishing, and painting what's left!

Before anyone comes to visit us, my wife and I spend some quality time picking up, cleaning up, and working to make sure that someone's visit to our home is as pleasant and enjoyable as possible. Whether it's students from our church or some friends we're having over for the first time, we know that environment is important. We understand that about our homes, but because of familiarity and shared ownership, we miss it at church. It's time we applied the same standards to our churches!